Ghostship Revisited
by KMSaum
Summary: What would've happened if the escape from the ghost ship had not been so smooth? What if a certain gang decided on a bigger target...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and welcome to a change of pace for my fics! This is an old Legend of Dragoon fic I began when I wondered what would happen if the collision of the Queen's Fury and the ghost ship had gone differently…note, I just found this and it does eventually lead to a bit of violence against a certain Serdian King…**

**That's enough chat! R&R please, and also, I don't own what's not mine and I do own what is.  K**

"Ship dead ahead!" The man in the crow's nest cried, all of a moment too late. The Queen Fury gave a sickening lurch as she rammed into the tattered wooden vessel that had appeared from nowhere in the middle of her path. Wood grated and splintered on metal; people were lurched and thrown from their places on the Fury onto the now-adjoining boat.

Dart and his comrades were among these people. When the collision had occurred they'd all been standing at various places along the Fury's deck and had been flung, quite against their will, when the two vessels collided.

There was a horrendous crashing noise; Dart's body slammed through the top of one of the ship's old cabins and he landed hard on his back amid a large pile of wood and debris.

"Son of a bloody..." he growled, dragging himself upright. A spear of timber had forced itself up the sleeve of his armor on the left side, jabbing him painfully in the shoulder. "Damn it." He winced as he yanked it free, feeling the warm liquid begin to run down his arm. At least the bleeding was sluggish. Looking around he could see nothing outside of dust, wood and a pile of white sticks. _Bones,_ he mused with a feeling of uneasiness, _how pleasant. This must be the ghost ship the sailors were telling us about._ Standing, being careful to avoid tripping, Dart made his way out of the room into a hallway that was just as neglected. Just as he reached the stairs, though, he smelled a faint whiff of smoke and then **BOOM. **A large explosion from somewhere on the ghost ship rocked the vessel again and Dart, swearing, was thrown against the wall. The shockwave was horribly strong and the warrior felt the ship breaking apart as the vibration ripped through it.

"Gotta watch those aftershocks Dart-- you'll hurt yourself." The young man turned to face the speaker and growled, "I don't find that amusing, Haschel, but at least you're okay. Any sign of the others?"

"No. But Dart, that bang was the coal supply on this boat. Ghost crew or not this ship's real enough and now the fuel supply is on fire. This thing's wood- we need to find the others and retreat."

"Right but...ghost crew?" The old martial artist grinned.

"Oh, you haven't seen them? Best keep your sword loose and ready. They don't appear to be too happy to see live visitors. Let's split up and look." And with that Haschel, still grinning, turned and trudged back down the hallway. Dart reversed himself and marched along the opposite way, looking carefully for any sign of his comrades. Passing an open closet he heard a groan.

"Meru is that you?" He questioned, peering into the blackness.

"Dart?"

"Yes. Can you stand?" The girl sprang to her feet and though she wobbled she managed to pull herself out of the wreckage and into the hall.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine! Was there any doubt!" She hopped for emphasis and when she came down her left knee buckled under her weight; Dart reached out a hand and steadied her. "I think I twisted my knee, though." Dart nodded and offered her his arm as they moved slowly on down the hall, finally reaching a staircase. Just as they started to ascend it a sharp clang of metal alerted Dart to a presence behind them. Letting go of Meru, who shouted an indignant "Hey!" He spun and raised his sword to block the attack. The sight of the assailant made even his warrior's stomach retch.

The creature- if you could call it that- was no more than a human skeleton, skinless and gleaming, that was wearing an iron breastplate of armor and swung the sword that Dart had blocked. It grinned at him with its eyeless skull and swung again; he countered and sliced off its head. Thinking it vanquished- dead was not the right word- he turned back towards the stairs.

"Dart!" Meru's hammer swung at him and he ducked; the skeleton's headless body had been poised to strike him down from behind before Meru shattered it completely, sending the bones tumbling in all directions.

"Let's go before he decides to pull himself together," Dart offered and they hastily made their way up the stairs to find themselves on deck very near to the adjoining Queen Fury. Commodore Puler was standing across the deck and yelled to them, "The engines are not functioning! We cannot pull away yet and the ghost ship's engine rooms are on fire and it is spreading fast! I have all of my men, all you must do is find your friends and we will be set to go when the problems are fixed!" And with that he rushed away. As he did Haschel became visible on the opposite end of the ghost ship's deck, two figures behind him. One was extremely large-that was undoubtedly Kongol- and the silent black shadow at his side had to be Rose. As they neared Dart could see that the Giganto had a large cut from his right shoulder to his waist and that Rose bore a deep gash on her cheek.

"Where're Shana and Al?" Meru questioned.

"Kongol think they big hurt," the Giganto informed her, "Last boom give Kongol big hurt. Me think Albert and Shana big hurt too. We did not find."

"I need to go look for them. I think the rest of you better get back on board the Queen Fury and get those wounds tended," Dart said and made a move to go down another nearby staircase.

"I'm coming," Rose said. Dart looked at her questioningly.

"Are you sure you should?"

"This is a scratch." She wiped the blood on her velvet sleeve. She went off another direction and vanished.

"Yeah, I'll help too Dart! The rest of you go back to the ship!" Meru commanded and, walking better, she started down the stairs. Haschel and Kongol made their back across the planks to the Fury as Dart followed Meru.

The smoke was much thicker in this hall; the fire downstairs had spread to the level Dart was currently traveling on. Meru had gone a bit ahead.

"Dart! I found Shana! I'm so good!" He quickened his pace and reached the place the two girls were: the ghost ship's kitchen. His childhood friend was sitting near a large potbellied stove that had emptied its contents on her. Her clothes were doused in soot.

"Are you all right?" He asked her. Shana shook her head.

"I think my ankle's broken. I landed on it when I came down through the ceiling. The stove tipped when the coal exploded."

"I'll carry you." Dart stooped and lifted her in her arms. Meru gave a comical salute and said, "I'll go find Al!"

Dart hurried back upstairs and sat Shana on deck. Rose had returned and volunteered to help Shana for she had not been able to locate the Serdian king.

"Get back down there before Meru screws this up." He nodded and rushed back down the stairs, wondering why he'd met no more of the skeletons.

There was a distant roar and a yell. The first was the Queen Fury's engines struggling to return to life; the second was Meru.

"Oh Dart...come here quick!" Still running he swerved around the debris strewn in the hall, coughing as billowing black smoke filled his lungs. The fire was coming from the room Meru was in. It appeared to be an old recreational room; Dart could see an old couch and chairs, now in flames, in one corner. In the other, lying motionless on the floor, apparently dropped through another hole in the weak ceiling, was Albert.

The king was in grave peril. One of the four wooden support beams had crumbled, pinning him beneath two of its largest pieces. Fire had consumed the wall on his right, illuminating the scene with brilliant flames. Worse yet, Dart could now see why he'd met no more of the crew- they were all here, about twenty bright white skeletons, standing in a semicircle around Albert's position.

Dart whipped around to face Meru and whispered, "Get back above deck. Tell Puler to be ready to pull out and that I'll be right there. Hurry." And when he finished he drew his sword. Meru whispered back loudly, "No way Dart! I'm totally not leaving you!" The warrior faced her again and growled, "I told you to go!" Something about the wicked gleam in his eyes frightened her, and Meru rushed away.

"Get away from him!" He cried louder, to the skeletons. He was undaunted by the fire- he was the Red-Eye Dragoon, after all- but he had a feeling Albert would not be quite as tolerant. Despite this, Dart knew even he could not last long. The skeletons turned but did not budge and he saw half of them bore broadswords. "I said get back! Do not force me to destroy you further than you already have been."

"Human," one of the things hissed, "We did not disturb our sleep to leave empty handed. You may live, but this one is ours."


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back! Again, this is my first LoD fanfic and I kind of like it despite that it's old. Please R&R and you know how the disclaimer goes! Thanks! K**

"No."

Even now Lavitz's words stung his heart and burned in his ears. _Watch over His Majesty. I can entrust you with everything..._ Dart knew he had promised. He could not let his friend's last wish go denied. "You cannot have him." The thing smiled, as did several of its fellows. Perhaps it only seemed so because of the light but it angered Dart nonetheless. The same one drawled, "Perhaps we won't have him but the flames will. Either way his spirit will die here." As though in answer a tongue of fire leapt from the couch to light one of the other pillars.

Dart leapt forward with a roar, cutting two of the skeletons neatly into pieces. The others let out an echoing cry of rage and swarmed him; Dart backed up, putting his back to Albert's corner. He swung his large sword wildly, trying with all he had to not leave himself open. Bones flew and scattered as he chopped but to his horror those he did not dice up completely continued their assault on him.

Metal grated against metal; Dart felt the bruising power of the impact as a sword smashed against the armor on his back. He whipped around, sword a silver arc, and cut the creature down. In that same second three more jumped him, their combined weight slamming Dart to the floor. His sword slid away across the planks and he swore blackly- he was now unarmed. Drawing up his left arm- though it was still a bit sore from its earlier wound- he used its armor for protection and swung it like a club. His elbow met bone and he grinned in spite of things as a skull went flying and shattered on the wall. Whipping around to face his opponents again he found them retreating out the door.

"You can burn," one of them hissed, "You too are ours now." And they all filed out and vanished. Retrieving his sword, Dart looked around him; three of the walls were completely burning and another of the pillars, crumbling with the intensity of the flames, fell and barred his escape with its blazing wooden form. Fighting the smoke that had seemed unimportant while he fought he felt around again, finally managing to find Albert. The king was lying on his back under the chunks of the first pillar, both of which were dangerously close to oncoming flames. It looked as though he had stood and then the second explosion had shattered the pillar and dropped it on him. The first piece, one about four feet long, two feet wide and two feet thick was laid horizontally across his torso while another piece of almost the same dimensions had fallen atop his left arm. That same chunk pinned his cloak as well.

_I'll have to move them both, _Dart realized and, coughing harder now, he went to the wooden anchor on Albert's arm.

It was easy enough to roll it off, though heavy as it was Dart could not lift it very well. Turning, he was faced with a larger challenge: he could not roll the second larger chunk off without hurting the unconscious king further.

As Dart struggled with his rescue the crew of the Queen Fury was getting increasingly nervous. The flames on the ghost ship were higher now, high enough to reach their own vessel; though the Fury was largely metal it still had wooden parts.

"We can wait no longer!" Commodore Puler was yelling to his crew, "We must pull away!" A black-clad figure swept up onto the deck and grasped his arm in a bruising grip.

"Not yet," Rose hissed angrily in his ear, "If you do you would kill not only Dart but you will also doom all of Serdio."

"What!"

"Albert is not just Albert," she went on, "He is the king of Serdio and considering he has no heir you will start a war over the ascension to the throne. That would be bloody and there would be no victor." Puler gulped hard and after a moment's hesitation he called out.

"We wait two more minutes and then we HAVE to get away from the other ship!" Rose nodded, satisfied.

A minute passed and the others- especially Shana- were terribly anxious. They kept looking for any sign of Dart and continually found none. Suddenly there was a cry of alarm: a fire had started along the Queen Fury's hull and the crew dashed forward, hoses in hand, to douse it.

"Engines on line, pull us back!"

"No!" That was Shana. "We can't leave them!" The Commodore paid her no heed and took the wheel himself, steering the Fury hard to the left. Slowly, with much creaking of metal and splitting of wood, the huge vessel began to dislodge from the smaller one.

Five of the seven companions stood along the deck of the Fury, facing the ghost ship as the gap between the two vessels' decks grew from one foot to two and then to three. It continued to grow larger as the fire danced as high as their heads on the other ship's deck- the flames had reached that high, consuming all the lower levels as they did.

The gap was ten feet wide now and the others were powerless to stop it. Suddenly, from somewhere behind the fire, a yell of effort rang in the now-silent air. A moment after that something slammed against the Queen Fury's side, somewhere further down the deck from Rose and the others.


	3. Chapter 3

Aeonian Dreams: Thanks for reviewing! Albert's getting' a little beat up, but no worries—he'll end up all right in the end…maybe! 

D.G.Arrow: Thanks for reading! Don't fall off—and here's more!

Thanks for reviewing! Please R&R!

**Chap. 3**

They could not see anything and rushed to check it out.

An arm coated in red metal was latched over the Fury's railing, desperately trying to keep hold.

"Don't just stand there, help him!" Rose roared, freeing the others from their shock. Kongol rushed to the side and grabbed the arm in his enormous hands. With a grunt of effort he lifted straight up, bracing his foot on the rail for extra leverage. Everyone else watched intently, not daring to breathe. More of Dart's arm came into view, followed by his head. The crimson metal of his armor was charred and appeared rather dinged up; Dart himself looked like he'd been roasted over a campfire. Kongol lifted him higher and something swathed in a mass of green cloth became visible slung over Dart's right shoulder.

"He's got Al!" Meru yelled happily. Kongol gave one last forceful heave, dragging Dart's lower half over the rail and gently letting him and his cargo drop to the deck. Dart let Albert slide carefully off of his shoulder; as soon as he was lying on the deck Dart's legs buckled and he sat down hard.

"Well done," Rose commended him; Haschel looked at her and grinned.

"You even had Rose worried." She scowled at him.

"I just didn't want to have to train two new Dragoons." Shana and the others ignored them both- they were too occupied with the two that had barely escaped the fire.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Shana said breathlessly, hugging Dart around the neck. He nodded and patted her arm, unable to speak just then.

"Let's stop staring and do something for these two," Haschel said seriously, to the surprise of everyone else. Meru was down on her knees, peering at the unconscious king.

"Al's not doing too good, guys. He looks bad. His face is totally white and I think he's bleeding."

"Injuries from the pillar and the skeletons that got at us just before I jumped," Dart said quietly, "They got really angry when they found out we escaped from the fire in that room. I couldn't fight them the second time- I had Albert draped over my sword arm. They got me backed into a corner and two of them had swords..." he trailed off.

"It doesn't matter. You're here, right? That's all we care," Shana whispered to him and Meru nodded.

"We'll care if Albert lies here and bleeds to death," Rose snapped and motioned for Kongol, who nodded and picked up Albert as easily as if he were a child. Dart just then noticed that the others' wounds had been tended already. Kongol's cut was bandaged, as was Rose's. Shana had a splint on her ankle and a wooden stick that he figured she'd been using as a crutch. The Giganto looked down at Dart and said, "You need come to woman with stinging water." He was referring to the healer's wound cleaner. "She make you better. Albert too." Dart nodded and tried to stand, aware that his legs were weak.

"You're hurt!" Shana gasped, looking at his right leg. A crimson streak snaked from the back of his thigh all the way down his calf to his ankle. It hurt, that was true, but Albert's injuries were more urgent as far as he was concerned.

"It's nothing," Dart insisted- at least he could still walk on his own, unlike her. She gave him one more fearful glance before they followed after Kongol on the way to the nurse.

"Six broken ribs, seven more bruised. Thirteen damaged, all told. His left arm's all swelled and bruised. A shallow cut from a sword along his right forearm, nothing serious though. Some internal bleeding from the injuries, but nothing life threatening. As for the one in red," the healer paused, then went on. "-he's in slightly better shape. Nasty cut along the back of his leg, which bit into some muscle but it shouldn't impede his walking- it'll just hurt. Several burns on his face and right arm. Some claw marks across his left cheek- from a skeleton, I imagine- and he's got some bruises and a knot on the back of his head. Other than that they're fine- they just fared a little worse than the rest of you. The taller one that was in green is still out cold and I imagine he'll stay that way for a while. The other one-- Dart, did you call him? -- he's asleep."

"Thank you for all your help," Shana said and the woman nodded, walking past them on her way to her own room.

"Well there you go," Haschel said with his trademark grin, "We're all back and all mending---"

"-And you're steady on your way to Donau." Commodore Puler had joined them, walking up to stand beside Rose. "We'll get there by noon tomorrow. I must say I'm glad to see your friends got back okay, especially the kin-" Rose elbowed him hard in the ribs, cutting him off- there were sailors nearby.

"You keep that to yourself," she warned, dark eyes glinting dangerously. With a look at her face he nodded hastily and returned to his post upstairs. Haschel chuckled and shook his head.

"You are harsh as always."

"Hey," Meru said suddenly, "I heard somebody say they're serving a midnight snack in the kitchen!"

"By all means let's go then!" Haschel agreed and the two of them, followed closely by Kongol, vanished around a corner.

Shana didn't move. She stood in front of the closed passenger room that was serving as the makeshift infirmary, leaning heavily on her crutch and staring at the floor.

"If you want that badly to see him, go." Shana jumped- she had not seen Rose standing behind her. She gave the older woman a quick glance, and nodded. Easing the door open Shana limped in quietly, stopping to sit in the chair beside Dart's bed. Sighing peacefully she folded her arms and laid her head down on the foot of the mattress. Before she realized it she was asleep.

There! Thanks for the two who reviewed! More gratuitous Albert bashing soon!

K


	4. Chapter 4

_Well, here's chapter 4….thanks to all my reviewers:_

Aeonian Dreams—sorry friend...he'll be all right…I hope…I wrote this SO long ago….thanks for reviewing again!

The.Jalman—thank you for the compliment! I'll keep posting it little by little to keep you all hooked!

D.G.Arrow—thanks for your interest. UPDATE!

_Thanks, thanks, thanks! Please R&R! _

-K-

**Chap 4**

Dart woke late that night- it was actually early that morning- and found Shana sitting asleep with her head resting in the crook of her arms. Judging by the puffiness of her face she'd been crying as she slept. Carefully- not wanting to disturb her- Dart slid off the mattress and made his way towards and out the door. He tiptoed around the ship until he reached the deck. The open space was deserted except for the man high up in the crow's nest and a single dark figure leaning silently on the rail.

"I see you're awake," Rose commented quietly, "Slept off the weariness I take it?"

"Yeah." He stared across the water, gazing quietly at the reflections of stars. "How's Albert?"

"He's going to be laid up for awhile. With broken ribs he's not going to be able to breathe well and there's no way he's fighting with his arm that swelled."

"I figured as much, but we must pursue Lloyd. How can we do it with him in that shape?"

"We have very few options. It's going to be hell for him, trying to travel, and it's doubtful whether he could do it all. I say we find a coach and ship him back to Serdio as soon as we land." Dart looked at her; that was harsh even for Rose.

"Just like that? He's fought with us, Rose- he's a Dragoon. Do you honestly believe he'll accept that?"  
"What choice is there? He won't be able to keep up." That ended the conversation and the woman strode away.

……………………………

"Preparing to land!" a crewman cried to his fellows. The Flower City, Donau, loomed bright and cheerful before them as the enormous Queen Fury pulled into its harbor. Haschel, standing with the others, stretched broadly and yawned.

"The sea is a nice place to sleep. The waves were like the rocking of a crib."

"Very appropriate for you, being as immature as you are" Rose commented. The others laughed pretty heartily at that; Haschel just shook his head as he chuckled and said "Harsh." None of them noticed a figure taking careful steps out of a cabin and moving around to lean against the wall. As the others chatted Shana noticed, snuck away from the group and limped over to him.

The look of him worried her: his skin was pale and had a washed-out look. His regal green tunic was gone, replaced by the bandaging from chest to waist that was all the treatment the nurse could provide for his ribs. His tan colored breeches made him seem paler yet in the absence of the green he usually wore with them.

"How do you feel?" She questioned.

"Sore," Albert replied, "Very sore. How about you, Shana? You were hobbling." She smiled sheepishly.

"I broke my ankle when I fell through the ceiling on the ship."

"That makes sense. Myself, I cannot remember a thing after the explosion." Shana, remembering the story Dart had told, relayed to Albert that that was probably for the best. She noticed his breaths were drawn in short, sharp gasps as though he'd been running for a very long time. Just as she started to ask him about it the others noticed she was missing and came over to speak with Albert when they saw he was awake.

"How goes it, Al?" Meru asked brightly. The king tried to return her smile but the result was more a forlorn look than a happy one.

"It goes."

"Are you in much pain?" Haschel wanted to know.

"Only when I try to sit, breathe deeply or walk. Just lying or standing doesn't agitate them very much. Doubling over seems to be the most uncomfortable."

"That's understandable," Rose told him. "Do you know how many of you ribs you damaged?" He gave her a rueful look.

"Do I really want to know?"  
"Thirteen. Six of them broken. You also hurt yourself inside. Have you any idea how long wounds like that take to heal?" Dart braced himself- they were launching into last night's conversation already. Albert gave a deep sigh and said.

"Too long. Much too long for me to pursue Lloyd any further, at least for a while. In other words, I cannot continue on with you." There was silence among them then; no one wanted to comment on that statement. Finally one of them spoke.

"Kongol carry you. You keep up that way." Albert smiled at him.

"Thank you, but I must decline. That would be horribly uncomfortable for the both of us, I'm afraid."

"Not to mention it'd be a nasty blow to your pride." Rose added. Dart gave her a surprised look; he noticed Shana was giving her a dirty one as well.

"You needn't act like it makes you happy," she snapped; Rose did not act phased.

"Of course it doesn't make me happy- this puts us one fighter- one Dragoon- down. That means the coming months are going to be more dangerous than they might be otherwise. But there's simply nothing we can do about it." Shana looked as though she were about to argue further but at that instant the bridge was dropped and they were able to disembark.

Commodore Puler was waiting by the docks as they came through. He shook all of their hands except Rose's, kissed Shana's and whispered in Albert's ear, "Take care, Your Majesty." He inclined his head politely in thanks but said nothing.

The seven of them made their way slowly through the town amid cheers from the villagers who were thrilled that they'd destroyed the ghost ship of Illisa Bay.

"I know the healer here," Meru yelled over the noise, "I think we'd better go see her first." But when they reached the building on the edge of town the woman that greeted them was not one that Meru knew. She bowed them in and they followed. The Mayor was there and wrung each of their hands jovially in turn.

"You have once again done us a great service!" he said. "Running out the Gehrichs and now destroying the ghost ship. Though I see it did some damage to you as well," he indicated the woman; "this is our fill-in healer Arlys. She's very good at what she does- she helped out my son when he broke his arm." A few of them looked at Arlys, who smiled. For some reason Shana got a chill just then; she did not feel at all welcomed by the woman. She felt Arlys had mean eyes.

Dart felt uneasy suddenly too. The woman was outfitted in a dress and over-robes of tan, and those clothes seemed familiar. Where had he seen...?

The Mayor was speaking again; "I want you all to come to my home for a feast in your honor, unless of course, you need to stay here." Arlys spoke then.

"I think this one should," she indicated Albert, "He doesn't look well and I believe he needs rest above else." Shana let out a large yawn and added, "I think I'll stay too. I'm really tired." Dart looked at her, questioning with his eyes, but she just smiled tiredly and waved him out in the wake of the others. Haschel and Meru were leading, talking excitedly with the Mayor and asking what sort of delicacies would be at their feast.

"Let me show you to your rooms," Arlys said sweetly and Shana and Albert followed obediently. The two rooms were four doors apart and small but Shana found them comfy enough. She also soon discovered that her bed was amazingly soft, made of down, and that she really was as tired as she had pretended. She didn't even go down the hall to keep Albert company as she had planned- she just limped over to the bed and made herself ready for a long nap.

_Well, there we go...chap 4 done! Sorry if there are inconsistencies, but I can't really revise since this is an old fic and I literally haven't played the game for years. It's just an alternate ending to the ship part….but it goes further than that. Also, sorry to the fangirls—it occurs to me how bad poor Albert gets it in this story…oh well, though. Good will persevere……..right?_

_More soon! R&R please!_

_-K-_


	5. Chapter 5

_Yeah, this is a short one. It seemed like a good place to stop. --apologies--_

_Again, thanks to _Aeonian Dreams _for reviewing consistently—I love this girl! (okay, so I'm kinda scary but I REALLY appreciate it. Keep updating!) To the rest of you, please R&R!_

**Chap 5**

The next day went fast; Shana slept through half of it. Around six that night, right after dinner, there was a resounding crash and a loud echo of roars and yells.

"We're being attacked!" A villager cried outside her window. Arlys came rushing though the door, looking frightened.

"The monsters in the Barrens have made it past the barrier and are assaulting the town walls. Your friends have gone ahead and said to send you as soon as possible. I'm going to go tell the other man- you go ahead." Shana nodded and bustled out in the direction of the front door as Arlys swept back down the hall. To her surprise Albert was quickly but gingerly pulling on a light tan tunic over his head. It was the exact same shade as Arlys's dress.

"I assume this was left for me?" He questioned, looping a belt loosely around his waist.

"Yes it was. Shana took the long way but it'll be quicker for us to go the back way. The rest of the town is at the wall watching your friends fight the monsters from the Barrens. Come- let's go." The two of them went as quickly as Albert could go at a fast walk. They reached the back door, Arlys leading, rounded the corner...

...and something smashed into Albert's torso so forcefully that he staggered backwards. White-hot pain seared through him and his breath was instantly gone. Dropping to his knees he tried unsuccessfully to draw oxygen into his screaming lungs.

"Hurry up!" He heard a woman snap and realized it was Arlys's voice. Rough hands seized his arms and yanked them behind his back; he winced as the rope bit into the bruises on his left wrist. As soon as he was tied one of the men behind him lifted him to his feet. Unable to say more he glared at Arlys and growled "You--betrayed us." She smiled an evil smile and said, "Indeed I did, _Your Majesty_. You did well to hide your identity from us at first but now it is no longer secret. You're in the hands of the Gehrichs now," she held up a silver chain with a large jade-colored gem dangling on the end of it: his Dragoon spirit. "-with no way out. Let's go- get him to the wagon." A heavy cloak of tan- _Gehrich colors,_ he realized dryly- was draped and fastened over his shoulders, it's large hood pulled up so that it overshadowed his face. Albert was able to see little before someone began half dragging him towards a set of three waiting caravan wagons. The men who were now his captors were all dressed in tan clothing; the cloak hid his bound hands and he realized he looked just like them. Arlys hurried to join the townspeople to avoid suspicion, calling back to the Gehrichs to make sure they took Albert's javelin along so that it looked like he'd chosen to leave. She didn't see another tan-cloaked figure merge with the others as they crowded into the three wagons. Albert was lifted bodily and tossed into one, landing hard and getting his wind knocked out once again. Not only could he not breathe but hitting the wood of the cart's bottom had _hurt. _The hood covered most of his face as he lay there on his side and thus he couldn't see.

"Don't worry chum," someone said, "-you're going home."

_So, yeah. Yayness! Poor Al—being royal's a bitch, ain't it? More later. Please R&R!_

_-K-_


	6. Chapter 6

Aeonian Dreams—Yayness! -uber glomps- I love this girl. Woohoo! You aren't scary luv—you're just wonderful! Lol! Anyway, here's an update for you!

D.G.Arrow—Okay, this chap's a little longer. Hopefully that helps a bit…thanks for reviewing!

The.Jalman---Not sure if I thanked you yet, so thanks! For reviewing!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, please R&R!

-K-

**Chap 6**

Dart and the others had a hell of a time driving the creatures back into the Barrens and resealing the barrier. In fact they killed the majority of the larger ones that had left their home and once they had the smaller ones had retreated willingly. Amid more applause the Dragoons returned, victorious once again, but Dart was troubled. Once they had reached the Mayor's home, the crowd in tow, he asked, "Have any of you seen Shana? She had said she'd be right back when she left her bow in her room."

"She's probably napping again," Rose told him. Arlys came running up and bowed to them all.

"I'm so glad I found you before the feast!" she gasped. It was easy to tell she'd been running a good distance. "A courier just arrived--- well, actually it just left..."

"What kind of courier?" Meru asked.

"A royal one," Arlys replied, voice low, "-bearing the insignia of Basil, if I'm not mistaken. Albert went with them, said it was urgent, that he couldn't wait to speak to you. He said it was what you'd had in mind until he healed anyway and that he had to deal with it personally. He wouldn't tell me what 'it' was."

"That's awfully convenient," Dart said quietly, though he wasn't sure.

"Of course it is," Rose agreed, "Now we can move on tomorrow. Arlys, I'm sure you have duties to attend to?"

"Yes ma'am, I do. G' day." She hurried away.

"What about Shana?" Dart hissed the question as they were bustled inside for another feast.

"Later. There are untrustworthy people about," Haschel answered for her.

The caravan traveled at breakneck speed for several hours past dark before the wagons rumbled to a halt. The Gehrichs inside quickly fanned out, wanting air after the musty ride. One of them lifted Albert out of the back of a wagon and leaned him against a tree. The burly gangster attached a rope to the tree and linked it on a short lead with the one around Albert's wrists. The king couldn't shift his weight and lie down and that wasn't good- his breath came in shorter, more painful bursts.

"Settle down, Highness," someone jeered, "-you'll get your poor royal blood pumping to hard."

"This needs to be loosened," Albert gasped breathlessly, "-I cannot breathe."

"You're talkin', aren't ya? That means you're breathin'," another one said; others laughed. Albert couldn't see them- the hood was still hanging over half his face.

"Yer not getting special treatment- we'll treat you just like we do any other prisoner" said the first one who'd spoken.

"'Cept we gotta keep you alive." More laughter. One of them actually bent down near him.

"Hey, he is breathin' weird," the gangster told his fellows, "Real short and fast like." A few of the others leaned down near the king as well; he tried hard to ignore their stench. One of them pulled the hood back, grasped Albert's chin and pulled his head up.

"What's wrong with you?" He was not sure he wanted to reply. On one hand they might loosen the rope and let him lie down- on the other they might leave him tied to the tree as he was and they'd know his weakness.

"Respiratory condition," he lied, "My airway gets constricted when I'm upright like this and I have to recline to open it back up." The sentence left him out of breath and he fell silent. The Gehrichs around him- he could see them now- all wore the same heavy cloaks that covered their faces in shadow. They looked at one another and one by one they shrugged, at a loss for what to do. In all honesty, they had no idea what he'd just said.

"Leave him as he is," came a nasty, sneering voice. A hunched, gray-skinned man that ran on all fours entered the fray and raced right up to Albert. "He is one of the ones that killed Gehrich," Mappi told his fellows, "Who cares if he can't breathe?" They all walked away then and Mappi, sneering wickedly, pulled the hood back over Albert's head and laughed, "Sweet dreams, Your Majesty." He too left for the food and beer around the campfire. Albert sighed and tried to stretch out as best he could, still tightly bound and in pain. His whole torso throbbed and the continual waves of pain were giving him an enormous headache. He sat alone for a few minutes listening to the noise of the Gehrichs fading as one by one they got too drunk and passed into deep slumber.

"Albert!" A voice hissed in his ear. Not knowing where it had come from he jumped in surprise and immediately regretted the fast movement. Refusing to give the gang members more fun at his expense he said nothing.

"Albert!" The voice whispered again. He noticed something then- all of the Gehrichs had called him Majesty, though mockingly so. This person had not.

"Albert, don't you recognize my voice?" It clicked in his head then and he questioned quietly, hopefully...

"Shana?" She sighed in relief.

"Thank God! I was afraid you were out cold. How do you feel?"  
"…Abysmal," he whispered in reply, "How on earth did you get here?" She moved around to the front of the tree so he could see her; she too was dressed in one of the tan hooded cloaks.

"Hey, what're you doing?" One of the Gehrichs that was still awake had walked over to them. Albert tried hard to keep his face blank in case the man could see his expression.

"Just giving him some things to think about before he falls asleep," Shana rumbled in a scratchy voice that was not her own. The man laughed and slapped her on the shoulder.

"Good. Give 'im hell." And he returned to his buddies at the fire's edge. The girl let out a long breath.

"That was close. Listen, as soon as they're all asleep I'm going to try to contact Dart and the others."

"How?"  
"My Dragoon spirit. Maybe if I send signals with it the others will get the clue. I doubt they even know I'm gone."

"Don't be naive- Dart will have known you were gone by the time the fight ended." Shana smiled--inside she'd been thinking the same thing.

"I'm gonna go now, before anyone gets suspicious."

"Shana!"

"Yes?"

"Be careful. Do you know how angry Dart will be if I become responsible for the death of another of his friends?"  
"I will- I promise. And he doesn't blame you for that." Before she moved back into the shelter of the trees she loosened the rope between Albert and the tree just enough. He thanked her silently as she disappeared into the shadows.

_Well, another chap up! Here's the thing, tho—I just realized that I never finished this fic—it drops off later—and it's been years since I played the game…eep!_

_Please R&R!_

_-K-_


	7. Chapter 7

Aeonian Dreams—I love your constant encouragement. You push me on, Aeoni-chan! This fic is so dern MEAN though, poor Al...well, anyway, here's an update!

Mysteryguy12—Did I thank you yet for your multiple reviews? Thanks! And I cannot WAIT to read more of your Sephy fic, and you, too have made the faves. Poor Al is right, man oh man, you have no idea. . .

_Please R&R!_

**Chap 7**

"That took too long," Dart grumbled as they returned to the large guestroom in the inn.

"But the food was excellent," Haschel told him. It was well after dark and they were tired.

"Where's Shana? She's still not back yet?" Meru asked; Dart nodded.

"She's missing. You don't think she went with Albert back to Serdio, do you?"

"I don't even think Albert is going back to Serdio and if he is he's not doing it the way Arlys told us," Rose told them darkly. "When I vanished from the party that's what I was doing- looking for Albert. Usually I can feel the power of the Dragoon spirits. Their strength reflects the strength of their master and I can tell if they're getting farther away. I cannot sense anything from the Jade Dragon's spirit. Nothing. That means either Albert's Dragoon spirit was stolen or he's dead." Before she could go on the four Dragoons noticed a sudden heat emitting form their stones; the Dragoon spirits were glowing as their owners drew them out. Their light faded, glistened back to life and then faded again. They kept lighting and darkening in that same pattern for over a minute.

"Someone's sending us a signal," Meru said wisely.

"White Silver Dragoon spirit," Rose said quietly, "This is bad. Shana's a long way away and the signal is moving farther as we speak." She looked at the others. "They're moving west."

"Serdio. Something's wrong here," Meru said. Dart rose to his feet, clutching his sword.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Three days passed and each day they stopped less. Albert knew they were getting dangerously close to Bale and he wondered constantly why they were headed towards his capitol. Shana had managed thus far without being discovered and had even gone so far as to make sure she always was at Albert's side.

It was during one of those times during traveling when the two discovered the Gehrichs's plot.

"So when we get to Bale we parade him right up the main street," one of the gangsters began another, "The people won't do anything to us if we have their precious king. So we march right up Main Street to the castle and we seize control of it. Boot out all the soldiers and make the officials keep the books and such, only we'll be in charge. I dunno details but Mappi's got it all figured out."

"And just like that we rule Serdio?"

"Yup."

"What about the other dragon-whatsits?"

"They won't dare attack us. Well, come to think, they might- but they won't risk us killing him. Mappi says the key is always to keep him within blade's range and then no one will attempt to rescue him. If they do they'll have to retreat."

"What about the Knighthood?" Shana asked in her fake gruff voice.

"No problem. Doel practically killed 'em all off and from what Lenus told us afore she left that Lloyd person killed the head knight so there's no way they can organize the few fighters they do have. That's why Mappi said Serdio is lots better a target than Tiberoa. Hey look!" The man cut off, pointing, "Bale!"

The wagons jerked to a halt a ways away from the outer gates of the city and everyone filed out. One of the larger Gehrichs came over and drug out Albert, Shana at his side as always. Mappi motioned for the king to be brought to the center of the circle and Mappi himself entered it as well.

"Well, here we go boys," he sneered, "-it's time to take what's rightfully ours." If he noticed Albert's cough of indignation he ignored it and went on. "Now we get to take our victory procession up the main drag in town with His Majesty here as our special guest. Take the cloak off him. Tunic too...we want him to look like a real prisoner." Three of the Gehrichs circled him and unfastened the cloak, letting it fall away from his shoulders. One of them unbound his hands and they pulled the ugly tan garment off over his head.

_Uh-oh, _Shana realized suddenly, _They're going to find out about his injuries if they see those bandages on his stomach..._

And find out they did. There were murmurs of surprise when the gang saw the strips of white cloth wound around Albert's torso and one of them, curious, reached forward to poke him. The result happened in the blink of an eye; the king, free of his bonds, caught the man's wrist as he reached forward and snapped the bones neatly before anyone could stop him. The gang member wailed and backed away; Shana had to stifle a gasp of horror as the three men nearest him fell on Albert with a series of blows. One of them, she saw with worry, kneed him forcefully in the gut. He gasped and went down to be struck several more times before Mappi came scurrying forward, a set of manacles in his hands.

"Don't kill him, damn it, he has to be able to walk! Get off of him!" The three men backed off and picked the king up; Shana tried not to cry out and put her hand over her mouth to stifle the noise. There was crimson running freely from the corner of Albert's mouth and his left eye was rapidly becoming rimmed with a livid black and blue bruise. Mappi scowled and fastened the chain around Albert's waist and attached it to the cuffs that kept his wrists together. To this he attached the third length of chain that he kept as a lead. "To the capitol!"

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_Wow, I am REALLY mean. I must've been on a trip all those months ago when I wrote this, sheesh. Ah well. Please R&R!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chap. 8**

The Gehrichs formed into loose ranks with Mappi leading the parade, Albert walking unwillingly at his side. It did not take long for the common people of Bale to find out something was wrong and they came to line the streets in droves.

Albert kept his head up and looked his people straight in the eye. All of them were mortified; some of them were crying. The king was coming home defeated for the moment but he made sure to show them that he still was not broken. Mappi stopped the procession at the steps of the castle as what was left of the Knighthood came filing out. When they saw their king bound, blood running down his cheek, his torso wrapped in cloth, they were more than ready to fight. Mappi stopped them.

"If you favor him alive then will drop your weapons and let my men seal you all in the dungeons." The knights outnumbered the gang two to one but they complied- Mappi's men, half of them, led the knights back into the castle in the direction of the dungeons. "Now watch, townspeople, while I show you the weakness of your old leader!" He turned quickly and kneed Albert in the ribcage; he collapsed to his knees gasping violently for air. He felt the blood continuing to run from his mouth- the internal bleeding had resumed and there was nothing he could do. He'd just been driven to the ground before his people- there was nothing he could do about that either. The crowd was murmuring worriedly as Mappi roared with laughter.

"Now you see how worthless your ruler is. Was, actually, for we are your new rulers! You will soon know what his weakness has subjected you to."

"We think no less of you, My Lord!" A woman cried. Albert looked up to see a proud face, high cheekbones and graying hair set on a small yet sturdy body. The woman's blue eyes gleamed in fury as she glared at Mappi but the familiar gaze softened when her eyes traveled over her king.

"I am sorry," he mouthed silently to Lavitz's mother. She shook her head.

"We want no apologies." He nodded his thanks as a Gehrich drug him to his feet and they marched up the castle steps. Behind him, loyal to the end, the people of Bale cheered their king long after the heavy wooden doors of the castle had closed.

"Mindless fools absolutely love you, don't they?" Mappi asked sarcastically; Albert couldn't reply. "It doesn't matter. My men are rounding up your advisors while I speak. This castle- this country- is ours. All of our members fled to towns here and once I give them the word they'll start burning. We have a full chunk of land to do with what we want." The true king shook his head, wishing he could voice the fact that his people would never lie down and surrender but his breath still refused to return.

Mappi drug Albert along with him up to the throne room where he sat down and tied the king's lead to the arm, making him stand. His advisors were brought in one by one, surrounded by Gehrichs and horrified at the sight of their king in chains beside a common criminal.

"I am your king now," he told them, "and I hold all of your old ruler's power right here." Mappi dug his hand into a grimy pocket and drew out a large jade stone on a silver chain. Waving it in front of Albert's face he told him "It's mine now." As the Gehrich leader waved the stone near its master and the Jade Dragoon spirit roared to life and glistened with its inner light so bright it momentarily blinded everyone in the room. Mappi yelped as the stone clutched in his fingers began to give off heat- so much heat, in fact, that it burned his hand. He dropped it to the ground, yelping in pain; Shana, close by and still hidden in her cloak, hopped forward on her good leg and dove for it.

"What the hell...!" Mappi roared as the jade stone was swept up in Shana's hands. Snarling in fury he drew his dagger but was smitten from behind as a pair of joined hands smashed into him, swung like a club. The girl stood up, threw off the cloak, drew her bow and was immediately recognized by a few of the king's advisors, who cheered. Mappi's men rushed at her and blinding white light filled the room.

_ ...craziness! Please R&R, thanks for everyone who did...yay!_

-K-


	9. Chapter 9

**Chap.9**

The White Silver Dragoon flapped her gossamer wings once and knocked the Gehrichs-and the advisors-off their feet. The thieves fell down the throne's eight steps to land in a large, tan, swearing heap. Turning around Shana hovered over to Albert, who was still chained to his own throne.

"Thank you," he whispered as she feverishly tried to get him loose. The chains slid away; she met his eyes and smiled.

"No prob." She began trying to get the manacles off his wrists then but something happened that neither of them expected. Something slammed into her back, landing right between her wings, and she began to hear metal scraping against her armor. Mappi slashed wildly, screaming "You meddling bitch!" As he tried to slice any part of Shana that wasn't protected. Flying back away from Albert she covered the back of her neck with her armguards, trying all the while to get some hold on Mappi so that she could get him off.

"Shana, my spirit!" The chained king called to her as his advisors, afraid of getting whacked by Shana's large wings, scurried form the throne room. The struggling girl brought her right arm forward and tossed the jade stone back to its master. In the second it took Mappi screeched triumph and raked his dagger across Shana's cheek and the girl, by instinct alone, grabbed his arm and flipped him, slamming him hard to the floor. The rest of the Gehrichs- there was about forty of them present now- leapt forward as their leader fell. Just as the six nearest her reached Shana turquoise light flooded into the room, blinding everyone inside for the third time. Albert- armored, winged and weaponless- hovered slightly into the air, still struggling to breathe. His cry of "Rose Storm!" rang off the walls as the gangsters that jumped at Shana slammed against a jade-colored, glassy magic bubble that formed around her. Red petals swirled around the white Dragoon as the Gehrichs, realizing they couldn't get at her, lunged at the next closest target.

Albert was slammed to the floor under a dog-pile of ten Gehrichs, his wings pinned. Shana drew her bow and prepared to fire; the arrow was sent to the wayside as a gangster heaved a chair against the solid dome around her. The collision rattled her and the Gehrich did it again, joined by one of his fellows. After repetitive blows the bubble began to weaken.

Shana stretched her wings and shattered the dome herself, flying up as near to the amazingly high ceiling as she could get. Holding her bow sideways so that it faced out like a plow she spiraled into a nose dive- squealing Gehrichs went flying in all directions. Pulling up, Shana circled and dove again, once more driving the Gehrichs off of her downed comrade. Mappi was back, screeching orders and hopping up and down in his anger.

"There's only two of them! We've come this far- don't stand around! Get them!" Even the gangsters that had been guarding the knights in the dungeons came pouring into the room and worse the reinforcements came bearing weapons along the lines of swords and pikes in lieu of daggers. Shana dove a third time, replacing her bow in its clasp on her back so that she had both hands free. When the Gehrichs saw her plummeting towards them many scattered or dropped to lie flat; taking their moment of weakness as an advantage Shana pulled free of her dive, heading back towards the ceiling. As she pointed herself upward she latched on to a jade-covered arm and pulled it- and the body attached- free of the mass of knife-wielding thieves. Albert looked up gratefully as Shana freed him from the pile and pulled him along with her as she flew up out of their assailants' reach. She waited until his wings were beating hard to enough to keep him aloft before she let go. The two of them looked down as the fifty or so Gehrichs looked up, Mappi in their center.

"Where do you plan on going?" he demanded in a yell. "The doors are locked and my men are on their way with crossbows. Face it! You are trapped. Come down!" The two looked at each other; Shana looked unsure, Albert tired.

"The glass windows," he whispered to her, "We can escape through them." She nodded and the two of them nose-dived.

The Gehrichs were ready and swung up their weapons. At the last second the Dragoons banked hard and went plowing straight through two of the throne room's gorgeous plate glass windows. Glass shards flew everywhere: Gehrich and Dragoon alike covered their faces to protect their eyes.

"Quickly, into town!" Mappi cried out, "Follow them!" Many of the Gehrichs began to file out of the room, dashing for the front doors. Outside, the townspeople had dispersed except for a few, all of whom went running when the doors burst open again.

Halfway over Bale Shana noticed that Albert was beginning to lose altitude. She dropped down beside him and grabbed his arm.

"We need to land. I know of somewhere we can go." He nodded, following her down. Somehow they weren't noticed by the townspeople as they set down in a deserted back alleyway. Shana, though she'd been to Bale only once before, knew exactly where she was. The alleyway shimmered briefly in the noonday shade of the buildings as they powered down to their normal selves. Shana was winded; Albert started to fall. She caught his arm and slung it over her shoulder before he did.

"Come on...it isn't far," Shana assured him; again, he only nodded. The block they had to go took them a while- Shana, hopping on one leg, had to support almost all the weight. They finally reached the backdoor she'd been looking for and she pounded on it. A moment later it was answered and the old woman nearly choked.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chap. 10**

"Your Majesty! Shana? What're you...oh, never mind- those criminals are about. Come in," Lavitz's mother said quickly, bolting the door behind them. She helped the two of them into the den where Shana quickly suck refuge in a chair and the king laid down on the long couch. "You're wounded" she went on, "-both of you." Shana nodded- a difficult movement considering she had her head between her knees. She suddenly felt very ill, like perhaps she was going to be sick. "Are you okay, dear?" She nodded again, pointing.

"Albert first." Lavitz's mom nodded and went over to the couch.

"What is wrong, My Lord?" Shana looked up and realized he probably couldn't talk.

"He's going to want you to call him Albert- he insists on informality with the rest of us. And he probably can't answer you, ma'am. Ever since the accident we had with the phantom ship in Illisa Bay he's had a lot of trouble breathing."

"I heard the tale of the seven who killed the unkillable," she told the younger girl, "I figured it was your group. Are his ribs damaged?"

"Yes. I think six are broken." The woman clicked her tongue sympathetically.

"No wonder his face looks so ashen- it must take a great deal to hold up that armor you Dragoons wear." Shana hadn't thought of that. "He'll be fine, I should think. He's bleeding from inside by the look of things, but I don't think it'll kill him. I hope not, anyway." She chuckled just then and Shana looked up in surprise.

"What is it?"

"You two have matching black eyes," she responded, "Lavitz would have found humor in it too."

"I want you to scour this whole town!" Mappi roared at his gang several hours after their prisoner had escaped and they had returned without any trace of him. "Rough the people up but don't kill anyone or burn any houses- there'll be plenty of time for that later. We just need to find the damned king before those friends of his figure out what's happened."

"How they gonna know?"

"Because the girl followed us, dumb ass, and she's one of them! Go search now, and don't come back without him!"

_How sweet it is to be back! Please R&R!_

_-K-_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chap. 11**

Shana woke up in the chair she'd been sitting in before, covered by a wonderfully soft blanket. Gingerly touching her cheek she realized it- and her other minor wounds- had been cleaned and dressed. Standing up and stretching she saw Albert asleep on the couch, a navy blue throw pulled up to his chin. The girl noticed immediately that his face was not the nasty grayish shade it had been when they arrived; it was more of a natural shade now and his cheeks had color in them.

"Good morning."

"Morning?" Shana asked. "Already?" Lavitz's mother smiled.

"Yes. You and His Highness have slept a good long while," her face darkened slightly and she added, "The Gehrichs came calling while you slept."

"How did you get rid of them?"  
"I told them this house was under quarantine for the dog pox that burned through town a couple of months ago. I coughed in their faces and they scurried." Shana laughed and immediately silenced herself so as not to wake Albert. Lavitz's mother motioned her into the kitchen where a large bowl of porridge sat steaming on the table.

"May I?" The girl asked and Lavitz's mom nodded. Whilst Shana sat and ate there came a frantic knocking at the front door. The older woman swept forward to deal with it and ushered in a panting woman older than herself.

"Paula! Have you looked outside yet!"

"No. What is there to look at?" Lavitz's mother, Paula Slambert, asked. The panting woman led her and Shana to the door and pointed into the sky near the castle: four shapes, the sun glistening off them, circled the glass dome that was the roof of the throne room. They appeared to be waiting for something; there was a thunderous crash from that general direction and Shana guessed the castle doors had been bashed in. That appeared to be the signal and the four circling shapes dove through the glass dome, shattering it and entering the castle in a storm of wings and glass.

"It's Dart and the others!" Shana cried happily, "It must be! They came!"

"Indeed they did," came a male voice from behind them; Albert was standing there, stunning in a tunic of navy blue. His tone and face were tired, but the deep blue lent him energy and color further extenuated his regal air. Paula caught Shana's open-mouthed gaze and smiled.

"It was Servi's. Lavitz's weren't long enough but his father was just about His Majesty's height." The other woman stared at Albert in shock; she struggled to curtsy and ended up nearly falling over.

"Please don't madam- I would have to bow in return and I don't believe I could handle it right now." She nodded and rushed out the door. Albert looked at Shana, "Shall we go? I imagine the others are looking for us." Shana nodded and exited, hobbling much less noticeably. As soon as she'd rounded the corner the king knelt on one knee and took Paula's hand in his own. "Thank you for the healing potion. I assume it was the one you only use in extreme circumstances?" She stood looking down at him for a moment and finally asked:

"How did you know about that?"

"Lavitz told me. He said it saved his- and his father's- life on more than one occasion." The old woman smiled.

"I should have known he'd tell you about it. Yes, I used it- I didn't want you to suffer so soon after finally winning the war. I know he was your uncle. I'm sorry." Albert kissed her hand and rose to his feet, bowing as much as he dared.

"Thank you, madam. I owe you- for more than just this- and I will not forget it. Good day." and he started to stride off after Shana.

"Wait Your Majesty!" she called and he turned. Rushing into a back room she returned to the front door carrying a long silver-tipped lance with a gleaming wooden handle. When she handed it to him he said nothing- the smile on his face said it all. He stood in awe of the weapon, examining it down to the silver 'S' engraved at its top, until she shoed him away. Twirling the lance in complicated motions, he walked off after Shana.

Paula, sure the scene at the castle would be an interesting one, hurried to grab her traveling cloak.

_Three updates—huzzah! Please R&R!_

_-K-_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chap. 12**

The sounds of battle rang out as far as the castle's front steps. The villagers gathered there parted once they realized whom it was that trying to get through; Shana shook her head, wishing it was always that easy to cut a crowd. A particularly loud crash reached their ears as the two of them reached the courtyard.

"My poor home will never be the same," Albert sighed, "Shall we fly?" Shana smiled and nodded; gasps of surprise and awe issued from the villagers as the Jade and White Silver Dragoons flew close-winged through the destroyed front doors. They flew at breakneck speed, nearing the throne room; Shana was forced to fly in Albert's wake- he knew when to dodge obstacles and staircases whereas she did not.

"Where are they?" they heard a voice demand as they got close to the action. "Where're Shana and Al?!" The voice was quite obviously Meru's; a cackling voice answered her.

"I don't know." Mappi spoke with mock concern in his voice that just seemed to anger Meru further.

"Damn it you little desert rat-" her snarls were lost in the clashing of metal. Shana and Albert banked hard to the left and rocketed up a staircase; Shana had to barrel roll to avoid an expensive looking vase. They shot through the throne room's doors, both of which had been forced from their hinges.

The entire room seemed to freeze as the two of them hovered into the air, floating in almost the same place they had the previous day. Meru had Mappi pinned on Albert's throne; Rose hung ready to impale a Gehrich on her sword; Kongol and Haschel were on the ground, back to back, staring at them; Dart was hovering in the center of the chaos of gangsters and destroyed furniture, a fireball glistening in between his gauntleted hands.

"Shana?!" he cried, shocked. She nodded and flew to him as the action resumed and the Gehrichs swarmed upon their targets. "Where've you been?" The Red-Eye Dragoon wanted to know as he sent his Flame Shot into a group of five enemies.

"Long story. I just had to follow when they took Albert."

"Good thing you did. Heads up!" he launched himself in front of her, blocking with his body; the arrows ricocheted harmlessly off his armor. "Gotta watch the crossbow bolts- they are dangerous but thankfully it takes them a long time to load another round." The two of them launched back into the fight, Albert in tow.

The battle did not have time to rage much longer; even as Dragoons the numbers were daunting enough to keep the seven busy.

"Enough!" Rose roared, "All of you get back- I'm finishing this." All of the Dragoons retreated to the ceiling, Haschel and Albert lifting Kongol out of harm's way. Black bands of energy began to form around Rose's body. Sparks began to flow in showers off her wings as her sword- her aim- swung down to point at Mappi and the throne, directly in the middle of it all. The Darkness Dragoon smiled so evilly it worried her comrades as she said "and they're dumb enough to stand there. Very well...Death Dimension-"

"Enough!" a new voice cut in, breaking Rose's attack cry and her concentration. All of the Gehrichs and Dragoons looked up at the hole in the ceiling where the glass dome had used to be; a silver-haired figure hovered there, the elegant light wings of his kind sprouting out from behind his shoulder blades. A long, round-ended wooden cane resided dully in his hand.

"Lloyd!" Dart growled; Shana grabbed his arm to hold him back, remembering Lavitz the same as he was. Rose didn't get angry; to the White Dragoon's surprise her eyes grew wide. So did Meru's.

"Oh God, he's got the-" Rose started; Meru cut her off.

"How did _he_ get it?!"

"What the hell are you doing here?!" That was Mappi. The Wingly scowled at him.

"Shut your mouth if you'd like to win this fight. If not I'll just fly away and leave these freaks to their fun." Mappi shut up and Shana noted she had to exert more force to restrain Dart.

"You bastard," he snarled, furious, and broke away from Shana's hold. Time seemed to slow as he rocketed upward, dead set on his target...

"Don't!" Rose cried, lunging for him, "He's got the--"

"Dragon Block Staff!" Lloyd called out, his blood red eyes gleaming in malicious triumph, "I call on your power to diminish this threat!" The Staff began to gleam, green light swirling around it. All of the Dragoons instantly froze where they were, suspended in midair, as the light poured over and surrounded them.

"You down there, move!" the Wingly called to the gang as six sparkles of light in six colors grew from tiny specks to shimmer like stars in the room, "I want to see them hit the floor." Kongol dropped the twenty feet unharmed, staring upward like the rest. Another moment and the balls of light grew until their colors bled into one another; above them, invisible through the energy, the Dragon Block Staff emitted a high pitched whining noise. The earth began to quake under the magical force used to drive the energy of the Dragoon Spirits back into themselves. The trembling worsened and grew to a pitching wave of earth that stopped as suddenly as it had started, throwing all of the humans and the Giganto onto the floor.

The lights vanished and the Dragoons- no longer Dragoons- hung suspended like marionettes for another second.

And then they dropped.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chap.13**

There was nasty silence as they fell and the faint clatter of metal as Dart's armor- and the rest of him- hit the throne room's marble floor. The Gehrichs let up an echoing, triumphant cry as Lloyd hovered down to land in the center of the circle that the Gehrichs had formed around the six motionless figures. Kongol surged forward, ax raised and eyes blazing. Lloyd blasted him against the wall with the flick of a finger as he handed the Dragon Block Staff to Mappi, the only Gehrich that had dared to come a step into the circle and nearer to the Wingly.

"You needn't celebrate- they aren't dead." he glanced at the Staff. "I will come for this when I need it. You cannot hide it from me but for now you may use it as you will. The other thirty of your reinforcements are outside." He flew up and was gone without another word.

"Stay where you are!" Mappi ordered the Gehrichs as the rest of their men came filing in through the ruined doors. The six were starting to pick themselves up.

"Friends..." Kongol muttered, pulling himself up and rushing back through the circle to them.

"God damn," Rose grumbled, trying to stand, "I can't feel my legs."

"I can feel everything and it all hurts," Shana said quietly. Meru whimpered. Haschel pulled himself into a sitting position.

"I would have been better to take a shot like that in my Rogue School days. I am getting old," he admitted, clutching his lower back. Dart and Albert both remained silent and neither had gotten higher than propping themselves up on their elbows. Maniacally happy laughter shattered their silence. Mappi was holding the Staff like a walking stick, grinning viciously.

"How the tables turn! We will get our wish yet!" Another triumphant yell rose from the gang, though still none of them moved. Rose was all the way on her feet now, as were a few of the others. Kongol assisted those that couldn't manage to get that far alone.

"Everyone still alive and fight worthy, I hope?" Rose said, "They've got us ten-to-one." No one answered her. "Get up! We've got to fight. These lowlife punks would never stand a chance against us under normal circumstances."

"There's a small problem," Shana began, "-these aren't normal circumstances--"

"--and I can't see." That was Dart, kneeling. His comrades all looked at him but he did not look back. He stared at a vacant spot on the wall, his blue eyes strangely out of focus. That's how it looked to Shana, but to Dart it looked- "White. I see nothing but white."

"Try looking at us." Rose commanded, "follow the direction of my voice." Dart obliged and turned his head in her direction. He saw snatches of color- seven, to be exact. Where he assumed Rose was standing there was a long strand of black light. He found purple, light blue and silver- Haschel, Meru and Shana- and a larger patch of brown huddled by a length of jade green. He could see vague shapes in the light, something like the outline of his friends' bodies. Holding his arm out in front of him he could barely see the outline of fingers bathed in red light.

"I can see colors," Dart announced, "-but only on us. And they're not very detailed and everything else is still white."

"You were too close to the Staff when Lloyd called on its power. That much magic gives off a lot of access energy. You should not have looked directly at it- it's like staring directly at the sun."

"Enough!" Mappi was getting bored with just letting his enemies stand and chat. "Gehrichs, attack!"

"Shit..."Dart tried to see the Gehrichs that he knew were rushing at him, though it made no difference in the blank white scene before him. Suddenly something seized him around the middle, lifting him off his feet, and all he could see was the brown light from before. "Kongol?"

"You no can see. Kongol get you to corner so you safe. Others coming too." It appeared to be true; the other colored shapes were hurrying towards them amid the cackling cries of the gang that was hurriedly decreasing the size of the circle around them.

"Stay in a group!" That was Haschel barking orders, "Shoulder to shoulder! Don't let them in!"

"Easier said then done," Rose snapped as they stood in a semicircle in the corner, leaving no opening between their backs and the oncoming Gehrichs, "-we're down three. Dart can't see, Shana can't walk and Albert... can't anything."

"I would not be in this shape if it were in my power to change it, so don't speak as if I were dead," he told her ruefully, "I know my involuntary weakness right now makes me as good as such-"

"That's about true," Rose muttered, freeing her blade from a body and Whip Slashing another.

"Leave Al alone," Meru shot back, slamming her hammer into a gangster's gut, "--he's had a bad time of things recently. It's not _his_ fault that--"

"Now is _not_ the time to be fighting amongst ourselves," Haschel broke in, sweating heavily. He let loose a Flurry of Styx on an unsuspecting enemy. The three of them held the wave of attackers at bay while Kongol let Dart down gently, whipping out his ax and muttering "You stay," as he lunged forward and sent ten men flying with one enormous swing.

The Red-Eye Dragoon looked around to find himself shielded by a rainbow wall of black, purple, brown and blue. Silver was leaning against the solid wall he felt (but could not see) behind him. Jade was lying beside him in the safety of the space between the corner and the fighters.

"Dart!" Shana called, setting her bow and firing as fast as humanly possible, "We can't hold them. We need to come up with a plan..."

"Yes we do," Haschel agreed, "-or none of us are getting out of here."

"What do you mean or?" Shana wanted to know.

"We can't stand against these odds forever," Rose told her matter-of-factly as she sent a Hard Blade through two Gehrichs, "We need to get out those least likely to escape the dungeons once we're caught."

"Kongol get them out," he offered, "Who Kongol take?"

"Dart."

"Shana."

"-and the King. Those three," Rose told the Giganto. Shana nodded her agreement and Dart understood their reasoning.

"I will not." Rose actually risked being attacked as she turned to look at Albert.

"You will not what?"

"Go. I will not run from this castle--my home. I have transferred in and out of captivity and incapacitation too many times in the last few days-- I refuse to admit that kind of defeat again." There was iron determination in his voice that the others had never heard there before.

"Too bad," Rose replied coldly, "You can't walk, you can't fight. You can hardly breathe--thus you are no use to us here. Kongol, we'll clear you a path. When it's open, go." He nodded and went to Shana first. Giving her a leg up, careful to avoid her bad ankle, he perched her on his left shoulder and steadied her as she fired.

"Dart walk?" Kongol asked him.

"Yes. I will follow your energy." The Giganto, assured by this, motioned to pick Albert up off the floor.

"Don't. Kongol, I'm asking you--I'm _telling_ you-- not to lift me. I won't go. Not this time. If I do I'll just end up coming back under worse circumstances than before."

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_Woo hoo. You know, I cannot remember if Kongol actually talks like that…..Lol. Please R&R!_

_-K-_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chap. 14**

"No have choice. Rose says go." The three able fighters lunged forward at that second, cutting down anything in their way and making something on a path through the gangsters.

"Now Kongol!!" Meru yelled. He nodded and scooped up the protesting King, who soon found there was no protesting against Kongol's inhuman strength. The Giganto slung him over his right shoulder and took off at a jog through the open path, knocking Gehrichs out of the way as Shana hung onto his neck for dear life. Dart raced after them in literal blind faith, following the patch of brown, jade and silver and hoping that an enemy he couldn't see didn't slash at him as he ran.

"Good luck!" Shana called to the others as the four of them disappeared out the throne room's ruined doors.

"Honestly, Your Majes- er, Albert, you're are just as bad as Lavitz and Servi," Paula scolded, "I would fix up one of them in the morning and they'd come home that night with wounds twice as bad. My super potion only works once every few days." (A/N…hadn't even caught the Poke'mon reference here. I didn't intend it like that, but it IS kinda funny. )

"Believe me madam: I would have avoided this honor if it had been at all possible," he winced as she prodded him with a finger.

"What did you do _this _time?"

"Lloyd thwarted us once again," the King told her, "He was in possession of a weapon that disengaged our Dragoon status. The problem came from the fact that we were airborne when he did it."

"In English, please," Paula sighed, looking confused.

"Lloyd canceled our powers and we fell," Shana offered; the woman raised her eyebrows, her hands propped on her hips-- she was ready to scold.

"And you landed..?" she prompted.  
"-on my side," the king admitted.

Paula looked behind her and asked, "What about you two?" Shana smiled sheepishly.

"On my feet but they didn't hold me up. My ankle buckled."

"I don't remember," Dart said honestly. His eyes were still acting odd. He had begun to see a bit more: he could see normal people outlined in gray and could see the faces of Shana and the others that'd escaped with him. Everything else was still white and he could not tell air from wall and thus he had to feel his way around or be led by someone.

"The three of you should get some rest while I patch up Albert. Shana dear, I'll leave finding places for everyone to you. I don't think I have a spot big enough for your large friend though."

"Kongol no need rest. Go see if anyone know what happen in castle after left." The Giganto slowly- and quite carefully- left the room, doubled almost completely over. Shana hopped over to Dart on one foot and placed a hand on his arm for his benefit as well as her own. They left the parlor, heading in the direction of the stairs.

"Dart?" The question was quiet.

"What is it?"

"Do you think the others are all right?" He thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah, I think so. They've pulled through in worse situations than this." That seemed to reassure her; they had reached a door that Shana pushed open.

"I figured you'd be the most comfortable in here," Shana told him and once he'd sat down on the bed she left. Dart watched her aura until it vanished behind the closed door. His vision went entirely white save the red glare of his legs stretched out before him. The layout of the house he knew by memory from the last few times he'd been at Lavitz's house.

Lavitz. _This was his room, _Dart realized and laid down, staring up at the ceiling he couldn't see, _He'd be angry that we left the others with the Gehrichs. On the other hand he'd be relieved we got Albert out. _Dart grinned tiredly. _He'd be confused as hell. _

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_If anyone remembers how Kongol REALLY sounds, please tell me! Lol. So, what do you think? Push the button, type a thought or two!_

_-K-_


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